MENLO PARK, Calif., March 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The best way
to prevent the lethal spread of prostate cancer is by stopping
cancer cell invasion of other tissues. Available treatments such as
chemotherapy are toxic and can often be risky for older men, who
are also most likely to get prostate cancer. In response,
researchers from SRI International have identified a drug candidate
that shows promise stopping both prostate cancer growth and cancer
cell invasion. Early studies show that this class of drug is orally
effective and has an excellent safety profile.

A combined prevention and treatment approach is significant
because there currently are no effective drugs to treat prostate
cancer, and its earliest beginnings are difficult to diagnose.
Preliminary studies of SRI's drug candidate show anticancer
activity against prostate tumor cell proliferation, progression,
and invasion in both androgen-sensitive and insensitive prostate
cancer. Study results were presented at the March 10, 2011 Prostate
Cancer Research Program's (PCRP's) Innovative Minds in Prostate
Cancer Today (IMPaCT) conference in Orlando, Florida. The study was
supported by a Department of Defense/Prostate Cancer Research
Program (PCRP) Laboratory-Clinical Transition grant.

Further preclinical testing by SRI researchers will advance the
drug towards clinical trials in patients.

The SRI drug candidate is developed from a naturally occurring
anti-cancer agent found in cruciferous vegetables such as cabbages
and broccoli. Because the drug is derived from chemicals inside
healthy foods, its safety profile is better than alternative
treatments such as chemotherapy. Earlier successful research on a
similarly-derived breast cancer drug led researchers to expand
testing of this novel class of compounds to prostate cancer
models.

"Since cancer cells are able to develop diverse pathways for
growth and cell survival, multi-target drugs and a network approach
are the most benefici

MENLO PARK, Calif., March 30, 2011 /- The best way to prevent the lethal spread of prostate cancer is by stopping cancer cell invasion of other tissues. Available treatments such as chemotherapy are toxic and can often be risky for older men, who are also most likely to get prostate...